


To The Wanderers

by BonesyBoop



Category: Over the Garden Wall (Cartoon)
Genre: AU, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-26
Updated: 2015-01-26
Packaged: 2018-03-09 04:50:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,179
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3236900
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BonesyBoop/pseuds/BonesyBoop
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>You should not have come here, my dear wanderer. The Unknown is a dangerous place; but, fortunately for you, I am here to give you some advice. Heed my words, and you might find your way home.</p>
            </blockquote>





	To The Wanderers

You should not have come here, my dear wanderer. The Unknown is a dangerous place; but, fortunately for you, I am here to give you some advice.

Dear wanderer, when you wake you will find yourself in a dark forest. You will not know where you are when in fact that is exactly where you are. The Unknown.

Follow the forest path, do not stray. I cannot know where you will end up, but remember that things are never what they seem.

Should you come across a field of pumpkins, be sure to watch your step; not many tread through these fields, and the vegetables have a bad habit of growing where feet have previously fallen. You will find a village nearby, eerily quiet and devoid of life. Do not wander into the houses – trespassing is quite rude. Wait instead. Take a seat, and wait outside.

You may come across a black cat; be kind to it, be mindful, and say hello – it is bad luck to cross a black cat, after all. Sooner or later a pumpkin-and-straw clad villager will emerge from their home; once one notices you, the others will swiftly follow. Be polite, for they do not wish you any harm; answer their questions, and if they ask if you have come to join them, very sternly answer no.

If you are polite, the villagers will give you directions and send you on your way. But before you leave, remember this; those who give freely will receive much in return. Offer to help, as they will not ask. If you were kind to the cat, you will receive a great reward.

You may hear sounds in the woods. _Do not stray off the path._

Should you come across a lone Inn, feel free to enter. The Innkeeper and her patrons are friendly folk, and food is readily available. However, you may not stay the night. The patrons are strange, but will easily be swayed by a good story. Tell them a tale of one of your deeds; in return, they will give you a title.

It will take very little prompting to get a story in return; and what they have to tell you is of vital importance, for they will tell you of the entity that stalks the wood. The Beast.

The Beast is a creature of shadow and despair; he walks the wood with his lantern, searching for lost souls. If you become lost in The Unknown, you may never escape; keep strong in soul and body, and you may find your way out. I pray that you do, for those who give up hope turn into Edelwood trees, which the Beast uses to fuel his lantern. To fuel his soul.

But, they will tell you, things have been different of late. For how long, you do not know – and if you ask them, they will not understand. They will tell you, however, that the Beast was once a feared and cruel entity of the night, stalking his victims with glee. Once you heard his deep voice come alive with song, you were in trouble; once you got caught the piercing light of his eyes, you were doomed.

Now, they say, the Beast is a sad entity. He glides through the forest on silent feet (if he walks at all, that is.) His eyes shine with a sad light, he does not speak. He can be spotted from time to time, watching people pass by on the path; he never steps onto the path.

They will tell you of another walker of the woods; a man who hunts the Beast. The Traveler, they call him. He wanders the paths of the woods for a while before disappearing, only to reappear again some time later; somehow, he never gets lost. He is friendly, and kind. He wants only one thing, however; to find the Beast. Why, no one truly knows. Perhaps he has a score to settle.

Beware, they will tell you, of bluebirds. For wherever they are, the Beast is as well; and he only comes to those who are lost.

Now, go on your way. _Do not stray off the path._

Should you hear laughter, follow the sound. You will come across a mill, with many children playing in the yard. A dog will run to you; don't worry, he's friendly. A kindly woman will emerge from the house, and ask if you are lost. Tell her the truth; you are just trying to find your way home. She will smile and nod; she may look a bit sad. Do not ask why. Accept what aid she gives you, thank her kindly, and give her a hug. She will appreciate it.

She will send you on your way, with one bit of advice; _do not stray off the path._

Continue on your path.

Should you come across a schoolhouse, go inside. Mrs. Brown will be teaching her class; there will be a free desk in the back. Sit down, and listen well. She is a good teacher, and a kind soul. If you do well in the lesson, she may tell you a story. Her favourite to tell is the one of the two lost boys, who helped save the school and reunite her with her lost love.

It may seem unimportant, but listen anyway. People like to be listened to, and you never know what may come in handy down the line.

Continue on your path.

You may come across a river; sit and wait, rest if you need it, but do not sleep for long. Soon, a ferry will come. Open the pack that the kindly woman gave you; in it will be exactly two cents. Use this to board the ferry. It is quite alright if you feel under dressed – the frogs aboard the ferry are quite fancy folk, after all. They will not judge you, so long as you do not judge them.

The ferry will let you off down the river, on the opposite bank.

Continue on your path.

You may come across a beautiful glade, with a picket fence and a house held inside; do not, under any circumstance, cross the threshold of the fence. No matter how inviting the house looks, you must not give in.

Instead, keep walking; you will come across a decrepit old house. Approach, and knock. A young girl will answer the door. Her name is Lorna, and she will ask who you are. Give her your name, and tell her you are trying to get home. She will gasp and run back inside, calling for her Auntie.

You will be frightened by Auntie's appearance. I suggest you come into the house when she invites you, however.

If you go in, they will make you some tea. This tea will warm you from the inside; this is good, as by now you may have noticed it is getting colder. The leaves of the forest are starting to fall, the wind is turning bitter.

Auntie will guide you out of the house and down the path, as far as she can go. She will bring you to a fork in the road, and tell you which is the safe path.

If you refuse her invitation for tea, you will not find this path. You will be lost, though he will try to save you. If you get lost, follow the sound of chimes; it is your only hope.

Continue on your path, whichever it is.

It will begin to snow. You must be very tired, by this point; take the blanket from your pack, and sleep. As you fall into slumber, you will hear a bluebird singing.

When you wake, you will see a boy standing in the shadows. He is holding a lantern, and you cannot see any of his features; just a shadowy outline, sad glowing eyes, and what appear to be branches growing upward from his head. Do not approach him. Get up, pack your things, and let him watch you. You will notice something then...

The path is gone.

You can try to look for the path, but you will not find it. The boy will follow you, however, always ten paces behind. Cry, scream, panic, shiver, do what you wish. You will not find the path.

When you finally exhaust yourself, sit down. The boy will approach you, but he will come no closer than five paces. He will not speak; he makes no sound whatsoever. Meet his eyes.

You will hear a chime, and the boy will turn and walk away. Follow him, and leave your pack. You will not need it. Do not lose sight of the boy; if you fall behind, he will wait for you. But he will walk far ahead, and never let you get close. If you lose sight of him, you will be lost.

Soon, the boy will stop and turn to you. He will point forward; look where he points. You will see nothing. When you turn around, he will be gone; in his place, is a part in the dark trees through which you can see the path.

Run to the path. If you miss it now, you will never find it again.

Now, dear wanderer, many things can happen. Perhaps you will become lost, and turn into Edelwood. If this is your fate, then know at least that you will not die alone; the sad boy will come to you, he will stroke your hair as you give in to despair. He will hum a lullaby, the first sound you have ever heard him make, to send you off into a slumber. The light of a lantern shining on the hem of a blue dress will be the last thing you see.

Perhaps you will find your way home without any further incident, in which case I commend you; you escaped The Unknown. I hope your escape won't be too painful; but you made it through The Unknown, and that is a triumph.

Perhaps, dear wanderer, you will be one of the few that will meet the Traveler. You will know when he is near, for when the boy points you will hear someone singing a merry tune. He will be on the path, and will greet you like an old friend.

He is a bright person, with a brilliant smile and shining eyes. He will not ask if you are lost, for you are on the path; those on the path are safe. He will not ask for your name; do not ask for his. He will ask what you are looking for, however. Answer truthfully; he will tell you that he is searching too, for something precious that he lost long ago.

He will ask if you want to rest; take him up on his offer, for you are safe with the Traveler.

If you behaved well for Mrs. Brown, you will know a good story. Tell him the story she told you; he will pay rapt attention, and laugh. In return, he will tell you a story of his own.

He will tell you of two brothers, trapped in The Unknown. He will tell you of a Bluebird that was actually a cursed girl. He will tell you, very seriously, that the perfect frog name is Jason Funderburker. He will tell you of a very brave boy, who faced down the Beast and made the ultimate sacrifice for his little brother.

You will notice that the happy Traveler has grown sad and wistful; ask him what is wrong. He will smile and say nothing, simply sighing and scanning the forest in response.

Let him have his silence. When he speaks again, he will tell you that he wanders the forest in search of the Beast. He has never found the Beast, but he knows the Beast is always near when he is in the forest. It is enough for now, he will say; someday he will demand more, but for now he is content knowing the Beast is near.

Strange, as most in the forest fear the Beast. You may say this, if you wish, and ask him why he isn't afraid of getting lost. After all, those that are lost turn into Edelwood trees. He will simply smile and stand up. Do as he does, for it is time you both go on your way.

He will wish you luck, though he will say you do not need it; if you are here, then you are already close to home. As for why he is unafraid, he will simply say;

“Not all those who wander are lost.”

Let him leave, and say no more. Do not follow him into the forest; your time in The Unknown is over. If you look hard enough, you may spot a shadow amongst the trees; the boy is there, just barely out of sight. His eyes follow the Traveler, and you may notice that they are a little less sad than before.

Turn away.

Continue on your path.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you to Julie for being my beta! I banged this out in one go, and I still rather like it. Illustration is something I whipped up in ten minutes. Just a scenario that popped into my head, based off the AU of Wirt becoming the new 'Beast' in order to send Greg home. I tried to mention everyone, but some didn't make the cut - Quincy and Margueritte, for example. Though it is their brand of tea that Auntie Whispers serves.
> 
> Feedback appreciated as always.


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